Had you ever used a blog before attending RTF 305? IF SO, WHAT WAS ITS FOCUS?
I had used a blog before for my senior-year English class. It was more debate-centered since we each had to post a response to a teacher’s prompt and then respond to at least 2 other students’ blog responses. This got a discussion going on in class, which I really enjoyed. Its focus was anything we were reading at the moment. What I liked about it was that we got a chance to voice our own uncensored ideas, and debate with our classmates. It was always interesting to see what my classmates thought about a novel, the characters, the conflicts the book posed, etc.
What were the positive aspects of using the blogs in the course?
One positive aspect of it was that it helped me review some of the key concepts of the lectures. It was good that the blog prompts were centered on the more complicated terms learned in class, that way the blog made us review and understand the terms by ourselves. Also, I didn’t have any other classes with writing components in them, so writing a blog allowed me to practice my writing. Finally, the blog made me connect the material learned in class to real-life examples, which, I think, is the most effective way to truly understand a concept.
What difficulties did you encounter in using the blogs? (both technical and conceptual)
I didn’t really have any problems. The only thing I had doubts about was how “casual” our language and form could be with the writing. Since blogs are usually used to strongly (and usually in a casual way) express personal ideas, I didn’t know if I would get points deducted for writing in a very personal, expressive, and casual way.
If you had difficulties in using the blog, how were you able to overcome the difficulties you encountered?
I didn’t have any difficulties but I know I would have been able to approach my TA about it. Also, having Jeremiah’s blog as a reference helped enormously. He really took the time to break assignments down for us. What types of blog prompts were more or less interesting or difficult? (provide an example and rationale)
The most interesting to me personally were the ones directly film-related. My favorite one was the one where we had to use a movie scene to exemplify the types of shots. It’s always fun to get the chance to rant about your favorite movie scenes.
The more difficult prompts for me where the ones that dealt with media in a broader sense. Since I came to college with a strict focus on film, I wasn’t that knowledgeable in the rest of general media. What was hard for me then was to find relevant example to use in my blog responses. It was worth it though because really trying to find good examples and them explain how they were relevant to the topics we were discussing helped me understand the lectures better.
Would you recommend using a blog in future course, either in RTF 305 and other undergraduate courses at UT-Austin? (explain why..)
Yes, I would. It helps you understand concepts better. And honestly, it forces you to keep up in class and to actually take a minute to understand the topics discussed in the lecture.
What would you suggest to change or improve the blogging experience in the future?
I wouldn’t suggest any changes. I think the assignments were reasonable and helpful. It was nice that we had until Sunday night to turn them in and they are very easy to use. It’s nice to have a class where writing can be more relaxed than having to write strict-form essays.
OH, and, "Yes, you can use my blog in a paper or report".
OH, and, "Yes, you can use my blog in a paper or report".
